Class
A given unit's class defines the general trend of its stats and the Skills and/or Abilities it may have, and thus its role on a map. Being in a class, in itself, gives a unit special effects that influence either itself or other units. These effects are distinct from the aforementioned Skills and Abilities, and have not been given an official term, so on this wiki they've been called a variety of names to distinguish them, such as Class Characteristics, Class Traits, Class Effects, etc. For a list of the lists of the units in each class, see Category:Units by class. This page is meant to go further than the basics covered in Class Guide, as well as to make a convenient spot for each class' sub-pages. Classes are sorted on this page first by the Melee/Range divide, then by the order they appeared on gcwiki's all units summary page, where they sorted by the order the classes were released. When considering the roles of each class, please keep in mind that: # Inter-class comparisons are usually done at the same rarity level. # Event units tend to be weaker than same-class, same-rarity units from the Shrine. Exceptions exist, however. Melee Units Soldier/Soldier Chief For a summary table of viable Soldiers and their stats, see Category:Soldiers. Soldiers are the most staple of units, and a serious team will generally need at least one in them. A soldier's advantages is that they always have one form of the Call for Reinforcements skill, allowing Unit Points to be gathered quickly so more units may be deployed. They have multiple block counts; two at Soldier level or below, and three at Soldier Chief level and above. They're the best bets for stemming an early swarm of weak enemies. On the other hand, soldiers don't often have the defense to support their high block count, unlike Heavy Infantries. Thus, they're not suitable for blocking heavy hitters without support, and being mobbed by anything other than weak enemies may end up getting the soldier quickly overwhelmed. And quick-and-dirty strategy with soldiers is to simply deploy them first, as soon as the mission starts, which gives them the most time over the course of the battle to generate Unit Points. Heavy Infantry/Battle Master For a summary table of viable Heavy Infantries and their stats, see Category:Heavy Infantries. Heavy Infantries - also known as Heavy Armors, from the Japanese term for the class - are the backbone of a team's defensive strategy. As with Soldiers, a serious team will generally require at least one. Heavy Infantries will most likely have the highest defenses out of a given team, as well as high HP and a block count of 3 before being class-evolved. Most also have Skills related to increasing their defense further, allowing for further survivable against multiple heavy hitters. However, they have little in the way of defense against magical attacks except for their high HP, which may turn dangerous should an enemy with a magical attack attack a Heavy Infantry while they are already taking damage from multiple enemies. They also have a higher deployment cost than a Soldier of the same rank; as such, Soldiers are best suited for playing defense against numerous enemies, while Heavy Infantries are for numerous and strong. Heavy Infantries are best reserved for when tough enemies appear or are expected to appear. Their high block count are also best paired up with units with Area-of-Effect attacks, such as mages. Valkyrie/Unicorn Knight For a summary table of viable Valkyries and their stats, see Category:Valkyries. Rogue/Assassin For a summary table of viable Rogues and their stats, see Category:Rogues. Princess For a summary table of viable Princesses and their stats, see Category:Princesses. Princesses are a niche unit that are fairly expensive, in terms of Unit Points required, but also fairly powerful. Their presence is not usually required in a team, but they may make certain missions easier if one is included. A princess will always ignore defense when attacking; pitting this fact against armored enemy units all but guarantees damage that pulls ahead of witches, the traditional magic attackers, as well as outperforming mages in a 1 vs 1 situation. Aside from their high attack they also have moderate HP and Defense as well as some Magic Resist, decent enough for both physical and magical tanking. Finally, the fact that they do not class-evolve means that less total Unit XP is necessary for them to reach their peak compared to other classes. On the other hand, as their attacks seem to be considered as magic during damage calculation, enemies with Magic Resist will take reduced damage - and unlike a witch's slowing effect or a mage's splash attacks, Princesses have no way of being effective in general outside of pure damage. Furthermore, they are only capable of blocking one unit at a time. Even in this, a Valkyrie may be better situated when fighting mobs with little defense; their stats are roughly equivalent to a princess', though they have slightly more defense and cost less Unit Points to deploy, as well as - more importantly - recovering UP for each enemy they kill. Valkyries are also more readily available, having Silver-rarity versions that are given without having to go to the Shrine. As Princesses are something of a specialized unit, they are generally not ideal to open the battle with. Better that they are held in reserve until enemies that they perform well against make an entrance. Vampire Princess & Immortal Princess For a summary table of viable Vampire Princesses and their stats, see Category:Vampire Princesses. Bandit/Berserker For a summary table of viable Bandits and their stats, see Category:Bandits. Intermediate Dragon Officer/Advanced Dragon Officer For a summary table of viable Bandits and their stats, see Category:Dragon Soldiers. Dragon Soldier/Dragon Princess For a summary table of viable Dragon Princesses and their stats, see Category:Dragon Princesses. Samurai/Samurai Master For a summary table of viable Samurai and their stats, see Category:Samurai. Ninja/Ninja Master For a summary table of viable Ninjas and their stats, see Category:Ninjas. Pegasus Rider/Pegasus Knight For a summary table of viable Pegasus Riders and their stats, see Category:Pegasus Riders. Avenger For a summary table of viable Avengers and their stats, see Category:Avengers. Monk/Master Monk For a summary table of viable Monks and their stats, see Category:Monks. Advance Guard/Advance Strategist For a summary table of viable Advance Guards and their stats, see Category:Advance Guards. Magic Fencer/Rune Fencer For a summary table of viable Magic Fencers and their stats, see Category:Magic Fencers. Angel/Arch Angel For a summary table of viable Angels and their stats, see Category:Angels. Puppeteer/Master of Automata For a summary table of viable Puppeteers and their stats, see Category:Puppeteers. Sailor/Sailor Chief For a summary table of viable Sailors and their stats, see Category:Sailors. Priest Warrior/Priest Warrior Leader For a summary table of viable Priest Warriors and their stats, see Category:Priest Warriors. Mage Armor/Battle Mage For a summary table of viable Mage Armors and their stats, see Category:Mage Armors. Dragon Rider/Dragon Knight For a summary table of viable Dragon Riders and their stats, see Category:Dragon Riders. Vampire Lord For a summary table of viable Vampire Lords and their stats, see Category:Vampire Lords. Sword Master/Holy Swordsman For a summary table of viable Sword Masters and their stats, see Category:Sword Masters. Fox Spirit/Heavenly Fox For a summary table of viable Fox Spirits and their stats, see Category:Fox Spirits. Bow Rider/Bow Rider Chief/Elite Bow Rider For a summary table of viable Bow Riders and their stats, see Category:Bow Riders. Royal Guard/Royal Order For a summary table of viable Bow Riders and their stats, see Category:Royal Guards. Ranged Units Archer/Sniper For a summary table of viable Archers and their stats, see Category:Archers. Archers are a general-purpose ranged unit that does physical damage. Generally a team will need one, most likely two in the absence of pirates and/or vampire hunters. Archers have respectable range and moderate attack, as well as low Unit Points cost. They attack fairly quickly, and can maintain steady damage within their range, which can turn into the entire map if multiple archers are deployed. However, they do less burst damage against low-defense units compared to Vampire Hunters, and do have less range and attack than Pirates, who are likely better to use against armored targets. Archers are one choice to open a battle with, due to their low Unit Points cost and their tendency to be capable of handling an opening wave of goblins by themselves. They can also be placed near escape points, in case an enemy manages to slip by the last melee position on the route leading up to said escape point. Mage/Warlock For a summary table of viable Mages and their stats, see Category:Mages. Healer/Priest(ess) For a summary table of viable Healers and their stats, see Category:Healers. Witch/Lode Witch For a summary table of viable Witches and their stats, see Category:Witches. Pirate/Captain For a summary table of viable Pirates and their stats, see Category:Pirates. Dragon Shaman For a summary table of viable Dragon Shamans and their stats, see Category:Dragon Shamans. Vampire Hunter/Vampire Killer For a summary table of viable Vampire Hunters and their stats, see Category:Vampire Hunters. Shaman/High Shaman For a summary table of viable Shamans and their stats, see Category:Shamans. Bishop/High Bishop For a summary table of viable Bishops and their stats, see Category:Bishops. Yin Yang Master For a summary table of viable Yin Yang Masters and their stats, see Category:Yin Yang Masters. Rear Guard/Rear Strategist For a summary table of viable Rear Guards and their stats, see Category:Rear Guards. Summoner For a summary table of viable Summoners and their stats, see Category:Summoners. Feng Shui User/Feng Shui Master For a summary table of viable Feng Shui Users and their stats, see Category:Feng Shui Users. Artillery Officer/Heavy Artillery Officer For a summary table of viable Artillery Officers and their stats, see Category:Artillery Officers. Dancer/Top Dancer For a summary table of viable Dancers and their stats, see Category:Dancers. Necromancer For a summary table of viable Necromancers and their stats, see Category:Necromancers. Druid For a summary table of viable Druids and their stats, see Category:Druids. Ranger/High Ranger For a summary table of viable Rangers and their stats, see Category:Rangers. Alchemist/High Alchemist For a summary table of viable Alchemists and their stats, see Category:Alchemists. Dark Priest/Dark High Priest For a summary table of viable Dark Priests and their stats, see Category:Dark Priests. Curse User/Curse Master For a summary table of viable Curse Users and their stats, see Category:Curse Users. Category:Guides